“We haven’t changed the laws. We haven’t legalized it yet. Yes, we got a clear mandate to do that. We’ve said we will,” he said during a press conference. “We’ve said we’re going to do it to protect our kids and to keep the money out of the pockets of criminals.”

The PM acknowledged that the situation is frustrating for everyone and explained that in order for his plan to be effective, “it’s important that we do it right in order to achieve those two specific goals.”

“We believe that a properly regulated, controlled system will achieve both of those measures,” he said.